The book begins with an introduction that discusses the use of a Grid computing Web-based portal. It then examines the underlying action of job submission using a command-line interface and the use of a job scheduler. After describing both general Internet security techniques and specific security mechanisms developed for Grid computing, the author focuses on Web services technologies and how they are adopted for Grid computing. He also discusses the advantages of using a graphical user interface over a command-line interface and presents a graphical workflow editor that enables users to compose sequences of computational tasks visually using a simple drag-and-drop interface. The final chapter explains how to deploy applications on a Grid.

The Grid computing platform offers much more than simply running an application at a remote site. It also enables multiple, geographically distributed computers to collectively obtain increased speed and fault tolerance. Illustrating this kind of resource discovery, this practical text encompasses the varied and interconnected aspects of Grid computing, including how to design a system infrastructure and Grid portal.

Supplemental Web Resources

The author’s Web site offers various instructional resources, including slides and links to software for programming assignments. Many of these assignments do not require access to a Grid platform. Instead, the author provides step-by-step instructions for installing open-source software to deploy and test Web and Grid services, a Grid computing workflow editor to design and test workflows, and a Grid computing portal to deploy portlets.

Reviews

… the most outstanding aspect of this book is its excellent structure: it is as though we have been given a map to help us move around this technology from the base to the summit … I highly recommend this book …

—Jose Lloret, Computing Reviews, March 2010

Table of Contents

Introduction to Grid Computing

Grid Computing Concept

History of Distributed Computing

Computational Grid Applications

Grid Computing Infrastructure Development

Grid Computing Courses

Grid Computing Software Interface

Job Submission

Introduction

Globus Job Submission

Transferring Files

Schedulers

Scheduler Features

Scheduler Examples

Grid Computing Meta-Schedulers

Distributed Resource Management Application (DRMAA)

Security Concepts

Introduction

Symmetric Key Cryptography

Asymmetric Key Cryptography (Public Key Cryptography)

Public Key Infrastructure

Systems/Protocols Using Security Mechanisms

Grid Security

Introduction

Grid Security Infrastructure (GSI)

Delegation

Higher-Level Authorization Tools

System Infrastructure I: Web Services

Service-Oriented Architecture

Web Services

Web Service Implementation

System Infrastructure II: Grid Computing Services

Grid Computing and Standardization Bodies

Interacting Grid Computing Components

Open Grid Services Architecture (OGSA)

User-Friendly Interfaces

Introduction

Grid Computing Workflow Editors

Grid Portals

Grid-Enabling Applications

Introduction

Parameter Sweep

Using an Existing Program on Multiple Grid Computers

Writing an Application Specifically for a Grid

Using Multiple Grid Computers to Solve a Single Problem

Appendix A: Internet and Networking Basics

Appendix B: Linux and Windows Command-Line Interfaces

Appendix C: XML Markup Language

Appendix D: Globus Installation Tutorial

Glossary

Answers to Self-Assessment Questions

Index

A Summary, Further Reading, Bibliography, Self-Assessment Questions, and Programming Assignments appear at the end of each chapter.

About the Author/Editor

Barry Wilkinson is a professor of computer science and the director of the computer science master’s program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.